As Knicks coach Mike Brown and his players spoke to the media Sunday ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, rapper Fat Joe sat in the back of the room at Madison Square Garden.
He teased Brown about his shoes.
He shouted “wooo” after Jalen Brunson said talent evaluators missed “everything” by allowing him to slip to the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, where he was selected 33rd by the Mavericks.
It wasn’t long before the cameras were pointing at Fat Joe, who shared his thoughts on the Knicks, who have a 2-0 lead over the Spurs and are just two wins away from winning their first title since 1973.
He praised the Knicks for playing team basketball and exciting a city that hasn’t been to the Finals in 27 years.
He also paid his respects to Knicks owner James Dolan.
“Shoutout to Mr. Dolan, greatest team owner in the game,” Fat Joe said. “Very misunderstood. They villainize Mr. Dolan like almost like a Bruce Wayne, like a Batman movie and this is Gotham City. This man, all these watch parties, this man takes care of us.”
Fat Joe went on to reveal how Dolan had his back.
Fat Joe is pictured at the Garden on June 7. Charles Wenzelberg
“The other day I was in Cleveland and I bought courtside [tickets] — this is a real story, guys — and they took it away when they knew it was Fat Joe, the Knick fan,” he said. “Mr. Dolan was so pissed, he said, ‘Man, if we go Game 5, I’m putting the owner up in the deck.’ … I said, ‘Man, this guy, he’s for us.’”
The Knicks went on to sweep their Eastern Conference finals series against the Cavaliers, apparently sparing Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert that indignity.
Fat Joe went on to call New York “the place to be right now.”
“I’ve been hanging out with Timothée Chalamet,” he said. “This guy has been hitting every block party all over New York City, just grabbing the mic, killing it.”
Fat Joe acknowledged that he wasn’t sure the team was going to be this successful this season, especially after it fired coach Tom Thibodeau last June.
James Dolan is pictured during Game 2 between the Knicks and the Spurs on June 5. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
“I was a little nervous with coach,” he said. “I ain’t going to lie. I love Thibs, so when [Brown] came I said, ‘What did we do?’ The man [proved to me] that he’s an incredible, incredible coach.”
The Knicks have won 13 playoff games in a row, the second-longest postseason streak in NBA history behind the 2017 Warriors, who won 15 in a row.
Suffice it to say, Fat Joe is a believer now.
“Right now, if you analyze the numbers, we might be looking at the greatest team ever,” he said.
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